TROY, Ohio -
Troy is doubling down on the 15th annual US Bank/Community Blood
Center (CBC) Troy-Piqua Challenge Blood Drive like a football team running a
no-huddle offense.Troy High School
started strong with the first campus drive of the challenge last week and the
Troy US Bank branch followed Monday, Oct. 1 with a determined community blood drive.

Piqua High
School also held a campus drive last week and the Piqua Community drive is
Wednesday, Oct. 2 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Piqua US Bank branch at 200 N.
College Street in Piqua.Community
members can “vote” for either town at the community blood drives when they
register to donate.

Piqua will look
to continue its dominance over its Miami Co. neighbor in the 15-year history of
the Challenge and again claim the $1,000 prize from US Bank to be used for
educational materials at the winning school.But Troy is out to stop them.

“We really
want Troy to win this year in a bad way!” said US Bank Troy Branch Manager
Deborah Wildermuth after casting her “vote” with her blood donation.“We’ve been to the schools, we’ve blanketed
the area, discussed it with groups, just trying to get everybody to come up.”

Deborah said
she was even able to recruit her husband, who drove up from his work in Sidney
to make his first ever blood donation.“I
was pretty psyched about that!” she said.

Wanda Harmon
and her son Cory, a 2007 Troy graduate, were on the Bloodmobile in the US Bank
parking lot Monday, lending their arms to the cause.Kendra Baker made her 22nd
lifetime donation and proudly displayed the CBC “Fight Cancer” she received.

16-year-old
Jauntae Blakely, a sophomore at Troy, nervously waited her turn to donate.She had been unable to donate at the high
school drive.“This will be my first
time donating, and hopefully we’ll win!” she said.Her donation went smoothly – one more “vote”
for Troy.

Penny
Johnson, principal at Hook Elementary School, was also on the Bloodmobile with
an after-school appointment.She waved
to Troy Principal Bill Overla, who was visiting the drive, and said he has been
encouraging school district employees to donate.

The winner
of the Troy-Piqua Challenge Blood Drive will receive the giant $1,000 check from
US Bank before kick-off at the Troy-Piqua rivalry football game Friday, Oct. 26
at Piqua’s Wertz Stadium.At that point
the Challenge competition will shift to the football field, but for now it’s
being decided on the Bloodmobile bus.